Data store device and data management method

Abstract

A technique enabling smooth data transfer in a system for accumulating and transferring data is provided. The invention is directed to a data storage device including a plurality of storage devices; and a data control unit configured to receive data, store the data in the storage devices, receive a data acquisition request, acquire data from the storage device, and transmit the data, wherein the data control unit selects a target storage device to search for data related to the data acquisition request based on storage status information regarding the data stored in the plurality of data storage devices.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A data storage device comprising:
 a plurality of storage devices; and 
 at least one processor executing a program which causes the at least one processor to execute a plurality of data control units, each data control unit configured to receive data, store the data in the storage devices, receive a data acquisition request, acquire data from the storage device, and transmit the data, 
 wherein a respective data control unit is further configured to select a target storage device to search for data related to the data acquisition request based on storage status information regarding data stored in each of the plurality of storage devices, 
 wherein priorities are given to respective pieces of the data, 
 wherein the storage status information includes per-priority storage status information regarding numbers of pieces of the data stored in each of the plurality of storage devices per priority and time information regarding time points at which the per-priority storage status information was acquired, 
 wherein the respective data control unit is further caused to select the target storage device to search for data related to the data acquisition request based on the per-priority storage status information and time information regarding time points at which the corresponding per-priority storage status information was acquired, 
 wherein the respective data control unit is further caused to: 
 predict a relationship between the priorities and the numbers of pieces of the data as of a current time by subtracting a product of a difference between the current time and a time point indicated by the time information by an average number of pieces of the data acquired per unit time from the numbers of pieces of the data per priority as of the time point indicated by the time information, and 
 select the target storage device to search for the data related to the data acquisition request based on a result of the prediction. 
 
     
     
       2. The data storage device of  claim 1 ,
 wherein each of the plurality of data control units is configured to respectively store the storage status information, and, 
 wherein, when the data acquisition request is received, each of the plurality of data control units is respectively configured to select the target storage devices to search for the data by using the respectively stored storage status information. 
 
     
     
       3. The data storage device of  claim 2 ,
 wherein the plurality of data control units use the storage status information corresponding to time points independent of one another with respect to data stored in a same one of the storage devices. 
 
     
     
       4. The data storage device of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the average number of pieces of the data acquired per unit time is the product of an average number of pieces of the data that the respective data control unit acquires from the storage devices per unit time by a number of the data control units. 
 
     
     
       5. A method of managing data in a data storage device comprising a plurality of storage devices and at least one processor executing a program which causes the processor to execute a plurality of data control units, each of the data control units respectively being configured to receive data, store the data in the storage devices, receive a data acquisition request, acquire data from the storage device, and transmit the data, each of the data control units respectively executing the method comprising:
 acquiring storage status information regarding the data respectively stored in the plurality of storage devices, pieces of the data having respective priorities, and the storage status information includes per-priority storage status information regarding numbers of pieces of the data stored in each of the plurality of storage devices per priority and time information regarding time points at which the per-priority storage status information was acquired; 
 predicting a relationship between the priorities and the numbers of pieces of the data as of a current time by subtracting a product of a difference between the current time and a time point indicated by the time information by an average number of pieces of the data acquired per unit time from the numbers of pieces of the data per priority as of the time point indicated by the time information; and 
 selecting a target storage device to search for data related to the data acquisition request based on a result of the prediction. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 ,
 wherein each of the plurality of data control units respectively acquires and stores the storage status information, and, 
 wherein, when the data acquisition request is received, each of the plurality of data control units respectively selects the target storage devices to search for the data by using the respectively stored storage status information. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 ,
 wherein the plurality of data control units store the storage status information corresponding at time points independent of one another with respect to data stored in a same one of the storage devices. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 5 ,
 wherein the average number of pieces of the data acquired per unit time is the product of an average number of pieces of the data that the respective data control unit acquires from the storage devices per unit time by a number of the data control units.